Family makes plea to find stolen dog in Indianapolis

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – An Indianapolis family is looking for answers after a woman was caught on camera putting their pet dog in her car and driving off.

Diesel is a purebred, blue pit bull. His family says he went missing just before 9:30 a.m. on October 15.

According to the dog’s owner, Diesel and another one of the family’s dogs, got out of the backyard and wandered into the front yard on the city’s south side.

Surveillance video captured a woman in a silver car passing by the home and then driving back around minutes later. The woman parked the car outside the front yard and Diesel could be seen walking up to the vehicle.

Anica Gross was home during the theft.

“She (the woman in the surveillance video) stops and only calls Diesel to her,” said Gross. “Casey (the other dog) comes back up to our yard and she drove off with Diesel in her car.”

Gross said the woman’s vehicle was later spotted at a nearby gas station. She told News 8 she spoke with the woman who said she took Diesel to a neighbor’s house in Greenwood and claimed the Johnson County Animal Shelter was called to pick the dog up.

Gross and other family members said the suspect in question changed her story several times and mentioned the dog could be at the Marion County Animal Shelter as well.

Neither animal shelter has Diesel.

“When we had gone to those locations and could no longer contact her we contacted police, showed them the surveillance, showed them the information we had gotten from her through text and just told them that none of it seemed accurate,” Gross said.

News 8 called the alleged woman who Diesel’s owners said took him. She told WISH-TV that there is no criminal case against her because she took the dog off the street and not from private property.

News 8 attempted to ask the woman more questions, but she didn’t want to make any further comments.

Diesel’s family hopes he’s somewhere safe and unharmed while police continue their investigation.

“He’s really nice and he’s never bitten anybody when people come over,” said Pierce Birdge, a member of the family that owns Diesel. “He loves everybody, he also tries to lick you and play around. It’s cold out here. I don’t want him to get hyperthermia or anything like that. I hope somebody picks him up and brings him back.”

Gross and the entire family said police are investigating this case as theft because the suspect was the last person to have taken the dog.

News 8 also reached out to the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department for comment, but have not heard back.